Beenie Man: Dancehall is in the mainstream now, Defends Drake Sample

Dancehall artiste Beenie Man has sought to put a lid on the negative comments making the rounds on social media regarding his inclusion on Drake’s latest album, VIEWS.

Many fans were left upset when it was announced that Beenie Man had replaced fellow dancehall entertainer Popcaan on Drake’s single, Controlla. Many were angry at Beenie Man for supposedly ‘stealing Popcaan’s thunder’. But in a recent interview with Billboard Magazine, the self-proclaimed King of the Dancehall revealed that it was Drake’s team who reached out to him about being a part of the album and he accepted.

“They reached out to me to clear the sample (a sample of Beenie Man’s 1995 hit, Tear Off Mi Garment) then he reached out to me to do an intro for the song,” he said. “It’s a big deal. For somebody to take a song that I’ve been done for 15 years, to release and put it out – it’s a big deal. It’s always great. For him to idolise me like that, it’s a big deal.”

The entertainer did not give any additional details about his inclusion on the song, nor did he mention anything about Popcaan. When THE STAR sought to get a comment on the latter, the entertainer could not be reached.

Instead Beenie Man opted to talk about dancehall making its way back into the mainstream. “Dancehall is in the mainstream now. Dancehall is a culture that everyone wants to be a part of,” he said.

Beenie Man is currently putting the finishing touches on his new album, Unstoppable which is scheduled for a May 25 release.